Sisters, But They Aren't
Book One: Seperated! "Is solace anywhere more comforting than that in the arms of a sister?" -Alice Walker Prolouge T'he mother looked out the window at her two daughters, who were practicing with their quarterstaves. "Take that!" Called the older one striking out.The younger one blocked. "Missed! You couldn't hit a tree in front of you." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!" The mother grinned at them; they were her daughters, but yet they weren't. She ran a paw over the scar on her leg, she used to be a war-like beast; until that happened. After that, she had taken the path of a healer. She had assisted in delivering her older daughter, and had been away gathering herbs for the next day (when she had thought the birth would occur) when her younger daughter had been born. "Mama! I hit Onepaw's 'ook, and it shattered, she has a piece stuck in her pawstump!" Slicktail shook herself out of her memories. "Ye know whot I need, go get it." She said to Redwood. The older daughter nodded and dashed to the herb rack and took down the herbs. She also picked up a few tools. Slicktail nodded her thanks and held out a stick to Onepaw; this sort of thing happened a lot. Onepaw took the stick and put it in her mouth. Slicktail easily pulled out the fragment and put on the poltice Redwood had made. She then looked up and said "Whot 'ave I told ye two? Carful 'bout each othars paws and 'ook!" She scolded Redwood shifted uncomfortably. "I know. It's just, we get carried away." Onepaw nodded and spat out the stick " "Don't be mad, Mama. Please." Slicktail relented. "All right, but that 'appens too of'en fur mah tase." Redwood grinned "Well Mother Slicktail, I didn't know you hate accidents." Slicktail picked up a broom. "Out! Out! Wildbeasts!" Onepaw and Redwood ran out, laughing. Yes, they were a family, as much as a rat raising a one-pawed ferret and squirrel could be. Chapter 1 It was a night of nightmares. Redwood tossed and turned, scenes from her early life haunted her dreams. Slicktail, before she'd changed, sneering down at her "Littl' squirrel, cume on nah, get up." Running, fleeing, tripping, a hedgehog, picking her up and carrying her. That hedgehog being cut down by an arrow. A ferret killing a molebabe. Running again, a burning house, carrying a babe. Her sister. The house, collapsing, get out! "MAMA!" Redwood screamed, waking. Slicktail ran in, "Whot's the matter?" She said as she held the shaking Redwood close. Redwood said "Just a bad dream but oh! It was scary." Slicktail said "There there, nah I 'ave some 'erbs that will 'elp yuh sleep." Redwood followed her mother into the kitchen and accepted the herbs given to her. "Take these, that should calm your sleep." Redwood nodded and did as she said. "Nah go back to bed, go on now." Redwood went and lay down, she soon was fast asleep. Slicktail took a dose of them herself, she had been having nightmares too, all that killing she had done as a youngbeast, under that warlord, Jisky Bloodtooth, so named for the way he executed prisoners. Who knew he could sire such a goodbeast as Onepaw? "MAMA!" The cry came from Onepaw's room. Slicktail dashed in, "Whot's the matter?" Onepaw was looking frightened, "There was anouther ferret, he looked like me, he was holding me and my paw hurt, the one that's missing. I was underneath anouther ferret and I couldn't breath and there was fire and- oh Mama!" Onepaw grabbed onto the rat and cried into her fur. Slicktail hugged her, "There there, just a dream just a dream. Cum on, we'll take some herbs." Slicktail was thinking, Redwood had had a nightmare of her early seasons, that wasn't as suprising as Onepaw having one from the day she was born! And they both mentioned Jisky Bloodtooth in their dreams, Slicktail's had involved him too, was that a coincidence? ________________________________________________________________________________________ The warlord was at that moment, camping not more than an hour's march away. He was returning to the place where he had slain his mate eighteen seasons before. He believed that he also had killed his daughter by setting fire to the place. Now he would kill the other deserter, his healer, Slicktail. The scout walked on, grumbling to himself. He had to get up in the middle of the night and go find a cabin, a cabin that had burned down seasons ago! "That warlord is gonna get us killed and. . ." He trailed off as he spotted the cabin. It wasn't burned down and there was a light inside! He gulped, thinking to the legend of the ghost told to him before he went to his bed and fled the scene in a panic. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Slicktail was trying to figure out why all three of the Springferns (as they callled themselves) had nightmares of Jisky Bloodtooth. Only she had taken a dose of sleeping herbs, and she felt her eyes. Get. Heavy. And. She. Was. So. Tired. Slicktail fell asleep, at the kitchen table with a light beaming out, showing the vermin the way to her house. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Jisky Bloodtooth led his horde up to the place where the house was, according to that gibbering idiot of a scout. He hadn't been very happy with the way that weasel had delivered his report, now fresh blood was staining the already blood-stained teeth, hence his name, Bloodtooth. He halted the horde at the base of a hill, and took ten beasts with him from that point on. They trooped up the hill and stood at the door, waiting for the signal. Jisky gave it, they all burst in and found the ex-captain ex-healer of Jisky's horde. Jisky pulled his dagger out of his snakeskin belt, the same one he had used to cut off his daughter's paw and kill his mate, and poked Slicktail gently with it, she stirred and muttered "Go 'way, trying ta sleep." Jisky gestured to a fox with him to hand him the bucket of water that was by the door. The fox did and he dumped it on Slicktail's head. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Slicktail awoke, and the first thing she saw was bloody teeth. Her gazed traveled upwards to the eyes of Jisky Bloodtooth. Slicktail stood up quickly, so quickly her chair tipped over, and ran for the door that wasn't there! Mentally bearting herself for putting herself in a bad spot, she turned and faced the warlord, taking him in. He hadn't changed much: a little older, his sharp, savage fangs stained scarlet with blood. His fur was a mottled grayish-blue in color, and constrasted sharply with his hazel eyes. A vest of chainmail hung loosely on his thin, wiry frame, and he also wore a dark blue, practically black cloak. Jisky still wore the snakeskin belt; once worn by his distant descendant Swartt Sixclaw. She knew she had changed, in more ways than looks since he had last seen her. "Well well, a deserter, you know how I treat deserters, Slicktail." Slicktail nodded, her thoughts jumping to her daughters, did he know about them? "Ah suppose you are going to do to meh whot you did to Thurn and your daug'er, kill me and let my body burn with the 'ouse?" Jisky looked at her partronizingly, "I didn't kill the whelp, I let the flames do that." Slicktail's last thought was, ''He doesn't know! ''Before the dagger came down and snuffed out her life. Jisky turned away from the body and said "You, set fire to the place." pointing to the fox who'd given him the water bucket. He then left, believing that all that would be left would be a pile of ashes, not knowing that their would also be survivors, memories, and a quest for vengeance. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Redwood felt something hot on her paw, she groaned and flicked it muttering "Go away Onepaw, I'm trying to sleep." The heat persisted, and got worse. Redwood suddenly woke up and realized that her house was on fire. Still sleepy, the herbs she'd been given were strong, she got up and limped across the floor. Her footpaw had been burned. The fire was catching onto the rug Onepaw had made for her as a seasonsday present. No time for memories, get out of the house, find Mama and Onepaw. Redwood opened the window and climbed out, falling a bit for she was still woozy and her paw ''really hurt. Redwood went to a safe distance and found some tracks. She recognized a ferret's tracks before she curled up and fell asleep. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Onepaw woke slightly before Redwood did, and in about the same way except for the fact it was her pawstump and not her footpaw that was burned. She reacted initally as Redwood had "Go 'way sister, tryin ta sleep." She muttered and turned over, and woke up when she relized that the house was on fire. Onepaw climbed out of bed and decided to go out the door, that was on the other side of the house than Redwood's window. She walked out her door and saw that the entryhall was about ready to collapse. Onepaw was still woozy, but that didn't slow her down in her sprint across the room, and didn't stop her from busting the door open. By this time Redwood was fast asleep over on the other side of the hill. Onepaw looked about, seeing so sign of her mother or sister she yelled as loud as her smoke-filled lungs would let her "Redwood! Mama! Ere you all right!" No answer. Onepaw felt tears fill her eyes, They're both dead! was the thought that popped into her mind, and beliving it was true, Onepaw dashed away, running blindly, sobbing, crying. This was the first time when she was old enough to understand what was going on that she had lost anybeast close to her. Eventually she collapsed and lay there, sobbing herself to sleep. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Redwood awoke first, she stood up and saw nobeast so she did what Onepaw had done "Mama, Onepaw, where are you?!" She got no reply either. Remembering the pawprints she'd seen the night before she looked at them, and followed them. Up to the house they went, and they came back in a hurry. They set that fire that killed my family! She realized and to herself she swore an oath. "Evr'y one of these beasts will die by my paw, this I swear on the memory of my mother and sister." Redwood was an excellet tracker, self-taught with Onepaw's help. She had no trouble finding the place were the horde were camped. Redwood was about to go down and take on the whole horde single-pawed when her burned paw gave out on her. Glancing about she spotted some herbs she knew were good for burns, she tied them to her paw with strips of her tunic. By then she was thinking rationally,'' If I go down there and just light into them, I'll be killed and then who would avenge my family? No I'll follow, find out and kill whoever was there, maybe slay a few extra vermin while I'm at it.'' __________________________________________________________________________________________ Onepaw woke about that time. Something in her had snapped, she was angry at everything, hated everybeast. Fate had been cruel, and she would be cruel back. Maybe she hadn't killed anybeast in her life, mabye she hadn't set any fires to a building, and let it burn, for the sole purpose of killing a babe, but at heart, she was just as bad as the father she never knew. She wandered down the road, not caring about the burn on her pawstump. A mouse saw her, and ran and hid. He was in the woods off to her side, she acted like she hadn't seen him, but she had. She stopped and sat on a log, right side to the bushes were he was hiding. The mouse kept still, Onepaw acted like she wasn't used to a lot of walking, groaning and examining her feet and complaining aloud. "Ah dunna why dis is so hard on mah back paws. Oh lookit dis, a b'ister! Ah well, Ah'll git used ta it!" The mouse had been edging forwards, planning to use a hatchet he had to split open Onepaw's head. As soon as Onepaw said "it" he lunged up, and was caught by suprise when Onepaw used her right arm to knock away the hatchet and her left paw to grab the weapon above his paws. "Neva mess wid a Springfern, mousey." She sneered, and yanked hard, he let go and Onepaw brought the hatchet down on the mouse's head. Onepaw continued down the road, examining her new weapon. It was small, light, but very sharp and on impulse she threw it at a tree. It struck, slightly off from where she had been aiming, but that was more Onepaw's fault than the hatchet. She pulled it out musing aloud "Vera good 'atchet, good fa close an' fah ran'ed." ________________________________________________________________________________________ Redwood was at this time sneaking up on a guard; the horde seemed to be resting today. It was a rat; and it was sleeping, also it hadn't bothered to wash the soot off its fur. Redwood had in her paws a piece of her tunic, for strangling it. It was over very quickly, afterwards Redwood took the rat's dirk, a fine one, too fine for vermin. The warlord's tent was nearby, maybe he had been there. Redwood snuck over, she was quiet on her paws, even with a limp. She entered through the flaps, there was a hole in the tent, These vermin can't even take care of their tents ''the thought passed through her head. Slilently and slowly, Redwood moved, silently and slowly, up to the warlord, and then she raised the dirk and plunged down, just as Jisky Bloodtooth turned, so that the light from the full moon hit him full in the face. Redwood gasped and instinctivly jerked, and Jisky Bloodtooth awoke to see a bushy tail disappear through a hole in his tent, and with a wound in his shoulder. He flew out of bed, grabbing the blanket to staunch the blood flow and yelling "Get that squirrel! Get it!" He exited the tent to find most of his horde sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. He continued yelling "Get the squirrel! Get that squirrel you mangy lot!" And so forth, kicking the sounder sleepers that hadn't awoken yet. The horde had no idea which way to go, so they stood about, a few asking their messmates what was going on. Jisky Bloodtooth was really angry, he began attacking some of the ones standing about, after that the horde just ran into the woods, looking for a squirrel, who was at that moment, sitting in a nearby tree, badly shaken. Redwood was panting, examining her footpaw, it was bleeding now, and she was wondering. Wondering why that ferret looked so much like Onepaw used to, he could have been her father! But Mama had said that all four blood parents were dead, so he couldn't have been. ''Mama cou'd have lied. No! She'd never do that! Those were the thoughts running through Redwood's head, finally she convinced herself it was the moonlight; that she missed her so much, that made her think he looked like her sister. Convinced, and having stopped the blood coming from her paw, she examined the dirk she had stuck in her belt. It was a very beautiful weapon, in a deadly way. The handle was wood, wrapped in leather. The steel was of excellent quality, and forged wonderfully. "Where'd a rat get a dirk like this??" She whispered aloud. Then shrugged and stuck it back in her belt. Then she leaned back and fell asleep. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Onepaw had practiced for most of the day with her new hatchet, eventully continuing down the path after she had nearly perfeced her skill with it. The moon was rising when she spotted a building, "Ah ne'er!" she exclaimed, for she never until that moment believed Redwall Abbey was nothing but a legend. Onepaw approached, being careful, she had heard about Redwall's hospitality, but who knew what got exaggerated, and what got left out? She walked up to the main gate and stood there, nervous. Onepaw realized she still had blood on her hatchet, so she rubbed it in the grass until she couldn't see anymore. Onepaw then tucked it in her belt, and knocked. Jarek the hedgehog gatekeeper was awoke by a pounding on the main gate, accompanied by a shout "'Ey! Is anyabeas' gonna opeen dis door?" Jarek grumbled to himself as he climbed out of bed. "'EY!" "I 'eard you!" he snapped as he exited the gatehouse. He pulled back the bar and opened the door, a ferret stood there! Onepaw looked at the hedgehog, he seemed about to say something but she cut him off "I not kum ta cuse truble, I jus' want a bed fir tinight, and Ah'll be on mah way tamorra." He looked at her hatchet. "Well a beas' 'as go'a defend 'erself." He hesitated, and held out his paw "Turn that over, and we'll go see the Abbot." Onepaw shook her head "I dunno how much da t'uth bin st'eched." Jarek grunted "Wait here." Rumwold; the Abbot of Redwall was a sleek otter who was the son of Abbess Mhera, and the only other otter Abbot or Abbess before him. The green-eyed Abbey leader was in his bed, snoring when Jarek woke him. "Hmm....What?" A moment later, he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Jarek shuffled his footpaws nervously. "I don't mean to disturb ye, Lord Abbot but there's a ferret 'ere who want to see you." "A ferret? Here at Redwall?" "Aye, she's a feisty one." "Well if she wants to see me let's not keep her waiting, eh?" By now the Abbot was out of bed. "Come on." A few moments later, Onepaw watched as Rumwold approached her (with Jarek close behind) and said: "Oh, are you the ferret Jarek wanted me to see?" Onepaw shrugged "Depen's is dere any oder one-'awed fe'et 'roud 'ere?" Rumwold nodded, and said "Now, what is all this about, hmmm?" Onepaw shrugged "I jus' wanna plice ta staiy fir da night, den Ah'll beh on mah way tamorra. Ah won' tun ova mah 'achet." The otter Abbot's brow wrinkled as he though, and then he said "Jarek, there's a bed in that small room back in the gatehouse, put her in there. Ah- I suppose she will be alright there for the night in there." Jarek grunted and said "C'mon in then, but don't try nuthin'." Onepaw just smiled and walked through the gate, and into the gatehouse. "Back there." Jarek said as he pointed. Onepaw nodded and entered the small room. Jarek promptly slammed the door behind her, and locked it, muttering to himself, "Give her a bed for the night in an unlocked room, and we'll wake up dead." He climbed into his own bed, and fell to snoring. Onepaw was in her room, afraid. She needed a way to get out, what if the gatehouse caught on fire, and she couldn't get out? Onepaw calmed herself by thinking Easy nahw, its jus' a lock Onepaw fumbled around in her room, and found a stick, she felt it. It was thin and bendable, long too, perfect. She fumbled her way around to the door, and felt around with her pawstump for the lock. Finding it, she inserted the stick. This time she didn't fumble, she and Redwood had enjoyed picking locks. Stip t'inkin' 'bout Re'woo', sheh's gone, pick da lock. It didn't take long, maybe two minutes, before she heard a click; it was unlocked. Grinning to herself she opened the door, quietly. Then she climbed into her bed and fell asleep. Chapter 2 Redwood awoke early to the sound of a couple of vermin bickering. She ignored them; what they were saying wasn't important, just something about who the bow really belonged to. She brought her footpaw up and took off the bandage and examined her paw. It was a bit better but she still better keep the bandage on. Wait, where did it go? She looked down, and saw a fox and a ferret looking up at her, the fox had her bandage on his head. "It's the bushtail! Get 'er!" Said the ferret as he reached for the bow they had been arguing about. "Gimme the bow. I'm a better shot than you." The fox shook his head and clutched it close. "You won't give it back." The ferret grunted. "Yes I will, 'sides, that ain't even your bow." "Is too!" Redwood was about to slip away when the ferret's reply caught her off-guard. "No it ain't, you took it from that 'ouse, the one Bloodtooth 'ad you burn down." Redwood trembled with anger, that was probably her bow! Ah'm not gonna let no stin'in' ve'min kell nohbeast wid mah bow! she thought, and swung down to a lower branch just as an arrow zipped through where she had been sitting a second before. Carefu' Re'woo', ye might be the fi'st beast dead by that bow. The voice wasn't her's it was Onepaw's. Go 'way, yer dead. "Tink we got 'er?" asked the ferret, looking up in the tree. The fox shook his head, "No I don't now gimme some more- arrcckk!" He was cut off with a dirk down his throat. The ferret jumped, and opened his mouth to yell an alarm, Redwood swung down quickly. The same piece of tunic that she used to kill the rat guard, she used to gag that ferret. "Were you there?" She asked, trembling with hatred, the ferret looked confused. "Were you one of the ones at the cabin?" she said, the ferret looked panicked. "Were YOU one of the monsters that killed my family?!?" she shouted, but she never received an answer. She had grabbed his neck, and at that question she squeezed with all the strength in her paws. The ferret lay there, his neck broken. You don't look like my sister. Of course it's not Onepaw!!. Redwood shook thoughts like that away, it was upsetting. She counted off the vermin on her paws, seven or eight left, depending on if the ferret had been there. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Onepaw woke early; Jarek was still in bed, but his snores were not as loud. Onepaw moved out of her room, intending to simply slip by, and exit Redwall, but an idea sprang up in her head. She stopped and thought on it for a few seconds. She'd do it! Oh, and maybe she could play a small joke on Jarek as well. Onepaw drew her hachet, and stuck it in the headboard of Jarek's bed. Right over his head, ''Nah, does that pruve ye wrong?' Ye can wake up alive if I stay da night.'' Jarek woke, and sat up yawning. There was some kind of stick there. ''Those Dibbuns, ''he thought, before he pulled it over his head to see it was a hatchet. There was blood on the head! "Now, see, ye can wake up alive, if Ah 'ave a room, unlocked." Came a voice. Jarek needed nobeast to tell him, it was the ferret. He turned to face her, sitting on a chair across the room. "Kin Ah 'ave it back now?" She asked, an evil smile exposing her teeth. Jarek held back, "There's blood on it." He stated, showing her. Onepaw's brow wrinkled, "Ah though' Ah go' rid o' that. Oh will." She held out her paw, "Now, Ah want mah 'achet." Jarek hesitated too long. Very quickly Onepaw got up from her chair and crossed the room. She snatched it from his paws fast. "Ye can wake up alive, 'cause Onepaw Bloodtooth don't like killin' sleepin' beasts!" She said, and very quickly, she justified calling herself Bloodtooth. Onepaw sauntered out of the gatehouse, nobeast knew what she'd done, and she wasn't going to let them find out until she'd gone. Onepaw wandered around the Abbey, only a few beasts were awake and they were the ones in the kitchen. She explored the grounds, taking note of everything. Walls, trees, pond, anything and everything. She looked at the sun and guessed it was about six. D''at would be the' bes' time.''' She thought, and went down to the kitchen. " 'Ello." she said frightened the mouse she was speaking too. "Ahhhh! Vermin!" the frightened mouse screamed, causing some of the kitchen helpers to run and hide, and most to grab some sort of weapon and run over there. "Ah's peacbl'." Onepaw said, "Ah's 'ungry dough." The friar, a fat squirrel, studied her intently. "How did you get in?" he asked, pointing his weapon -an oven paddle- at Onepaw. "Da gatekipper lit meh in. Abbot tol' 'im too." The young mouse that had screamed asked "Should we feed it Friar Yasen?" the friar thought a moment. "Go ahead Alta. Larjay, you go get the Abbot." Onepaw sat on the counter, half-grinning in a way that made her look like a maniac or a killer. She accepted the tray handed to her by the mouse, Alta, having gotten over her fright, said "If you would not mind, we would appreciate you going away and not scaring the wits out of helpless mousemaids." Onepaw couldn't help but smile at this as she slid off the counter. "Ah see ye's not afeared of meh anymur." She said as she walked by, Alta didn't reply, but as Onepaw went into Cavern Hole, she wondered where in the world she got the courage to do that. Onepaw wandered about Cavern Hole, noticing this and that, making mental notes on this and that. Her tray lay on a table, mostly forgotten. Finished with Cavern Hole Onepaw moved on to the Great Hall. As she walked around, Onepaw noticed a tapestry with a picture of a mouse on it. The mouse was wearing armor and had a sword; many vermin were fleeing from him. "That is the founder of the Abbey, Martin the Warrior." Came a voice from behind. Onepaw turned and stared as she saw the strangest beast she had ever seen. She was slightly shorter than an average hare, not counting the ears, and sandy colored with dark stripes. "I'm a meerkat, the only one at Redwall. My name is Blossom." She smiled at Onepaw. Onepaw gave a nod in reply. "Mah nem be Onepaw, were ye be cumin from?" Blossom looked a bit confused ''Pretty good "You mean where was I born?" Onepaw nodded "Yis, da's whot Ah mean." Blossom shrugged, "I can't really remember. You see, when I was eight seasons my sister brought me here. Apparently I'd gone out of my head, I can't remember anything before waking up in the imfirmaty. My sister is mute, so she couldn't tell." Onepaw looked at the smiling meerkat, and idea forming in her mind. "Den, ye's knows da Abbey verry well?" Blossom nodded vigorosly, "Oh yes! Very well." "Den, ye could show meh round? Relly well?" Blossom grinned, "Oh better than anybeast else! Come on!" Onepaw smiled evilly to herself as the simple meerkat showed her around showing her the Abbey. In more ways than one. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Redwood moved about quietly and silently, going back where she'd killed the rat the night before. The body wasn't there, but a different vermin, again a rat, was there on guard. Clutching her dirk, Redwood moved a little into a better position. The rat didn't notice; he was too busy jumping at shadows. Redwood picked up a stone and flung it. When it landed the rat jumped and pointed his spear at the general area it landed in. "Who goes there?" He called, timidly as if he was afraid that somebeast would jump out and kill him. It wasn't to be yet, Redwood quickly clapped her paw over his mouth and pressed her dirk lightly against his neck. "Make a sound and I kill you. We're going over there and you'll tell me if you were on the raid." The rat swallowed fearfully. Redwood gave him a bit of room so he could walk and began marching him over to the bodies of the two vermin she'd killed earlier today. Half-way there, the rat tripped over a rock. Falling with a small squeak of fear face-first on the ground, with a near-deathly cut on his neck from Redwood's dirk. Even though she had jerked away as fast as she could. "Be more careful next time." Redwood snapped quietly as she pressed anouther tunic piece on the cut. " Now hold that." she whispered, as she scanned the immediate area for any helpful herbs. There was none that she could see. She let out a bit of a hiss, disappointed. "Let me see that." she said, still snapping at the rat. It nodded mutely and slowly pulled the makeshift bandage off. "If you're careful and don't move a lot you might not bleed to death." She said, and pressed the piece of her tunic back on. "Now move." she exclaimed, quietly. After getting to the place without any further incident, Redwood pulled the rat over to the ferret. "Were you on the raid?" she growled. The rat swallowed again, before shaking his head. "Are you sure?" Redwood demanded. The rat nodded. "Were you there?" The rat shook his head again, violently. "Are you lying?" The rat shook his head even harder. "You're lying to me!!" The rat looked panicky and fearful, but he didn't shake or nod his head this time. Redwood thought a bit more. "You weren't there?" she asked, calmly. The rat nodded, relieved, Redwood nodded, and thrust her still-unsheathed dirk into the rat's chest. "You're still vermin." she said to the body, as she looked down at it. The squirrel looked up, a bit frightened as she heard a rustling in the nearby pine trees; perhaps vermin reinforcements. "Who's there?" Too late. Redwood just nearly missed getting hit by the dark shape that leapt from the trees. A notice from SalemtheCruel As it appears that the author, Springfern wants to abandon this story I have claimed it and will continue it, so please no one else try to get ownership, thanks Chapter 3 Jisky Bloodtooth was not in a good mood. It had been half an hour since a renegade squirrel had stabbed him in the shoulder; and he had since sent for his healer, Ravanna, an ancient sable who dressed in tattered robes of forest green. Jisky winced as the bone needle slid in and out of his silver-white fur. He winced, swallowing, and then looking up at Ravanna's icy gaze. She chuckled at her patient, saying "How would ye like te'hear of Scirius the Renegade, eh si're? Dat's anudder skurrel to luke out fowr, in fact, may'ap it waz him who tried to slay ye." Jisky snorted in disbelief. "That 'un was female. She was wearing a skirt. Scrius is nought but a legend made to scare whelps like my daughter." Ravanna laughed and wagged a claw. "That I wouldn't be so sure of, yer Mightiness, p'raps ye're wrong... May'ap someday Scirius'll smite ye with 'is curssed bow!" Jisky rolled his eyes and then bared his blood-red teeth. "Go on, be out with you, ancient one! Leave me, I am healing. If I need your services I'll inform you. And assassin squirrels or none, I want a guard posted outside my tent starting today. I don't want another night like this one." As the sniggering Ravanna collected her belongings and left the isolated tent, Jisky Bloodtooth went to sleep, but not before sharpening his dagger on a small sharpening stone, chuckling evilly. "Assassin squirrels? No problem.... Not a problem at all..." Category:Springfern Category:SalemtheCruel Category:Fanfiction Category:Abandoned Category:Adopted